Countering the Routine

"Enough." Gongsun Hui's delicate voice rang out in sharp reprimand, followed by, "Sixth Uncle, please don't be impulsive. Let us resolve this calmly."

As the legitimate daughter of the Sanyang Gongsun Clan, the former wife of the Wang Clan's late patriarch, and the legal mother of the new clan head, Gongsun Hui held more than enough status to mediate this dispute.

Wang Dinghai spoke with agitation, "Fifth Sister-in-law, it is not that I, Old Six, am being impulsive, but that the Liu boy has gone too far. Everyone in Ping'an Town knows that the An River, from thirty miles right of Dingpu Ferry down to Boulder Shoal, is the water territory of our Peace Wang Clan. Yet, that boy Liu Yongzhou has repeatedly crossed the line to fish. This time, he brazenly encroached ten miles over. If I do not step in to drive them out, will there even be a place for my Wang Clan to stand on the An River anymore?"

"Yo, yo, yo, don't go accusing the innocent, Old Six Wang." Liu Yongzhou wore an expression of profound grievance. "The An River is wide and the currents are swift. My Liu Clan's territory is upstream, so it is inevitable that our boats might drift. Yet, the moment you arrived, you used your fishing boats to ram us. Now that you've suffered a minor loss in the ensuing conflict, you go crying to your elders? This is preposterous! Are you trying to bully me by claiming the Liu Clan has no elders of our own?"

Wang Shouzhe had remained silent, observing and pondering the situation. He had already determined that the Liu Clan had deliberately instigated this conflict. Their goal was likely to test him now that he had newly ascended to the position of patriarch, and perhaps they harbored thoughts of gauging the capabilities of this young leader.

If he, as the new patriarch, proved incompetent or timid, a series of overt and covert conspiracies from the Liu Clan, likely in league with the Zhao Clan, would surely come crashing down upon them like a tide.

"Ahem!"

Wang Shouzhe coughed twice and walked forward with calm composure.

"Nephew Shouzhe, you've come as well?" Wang Dinghai's face brightened, though he immediately added indignantly, "Quick, judge this for your Sixth Uncle. This boy used underhanded tricks to ambush me. Your Sixth Uncle is not convinced and wants to have a fair rematch with him."

"So, it is the Young Patriarch of the Wang Clan—no, I should say, the Clan Head has arrived." Liu Yongzhou narrowed his eyes, casting a look of wariness and jealousy toward Wang Shouzhe.

There was no doubt that in terms of overall strength, Wang Shouzhe far surpassed him. Furthermore, Wang Shouzhe was only eighteen and had already reached the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm; his future potential was immense.

The Liu Clan was currently very wary of Wang Shouzhe. If he were given the chance to break through to the Spirit Platform Realm, the power structure of Ping'an Town would undergo a massive shift.

The surrounding onlookers began to whisper and discuss, seemingly quite interested in the young patriarch who had just succeeded to his position. Their words hinted that the late patriarch, Wang Dingyue, had died too soon; had he held on for another ten years, the situation for the Peace Wang Clan would be entirely different once Wang Shouzhe had fully matured.

"Sixth Uncle, victory and defeat are common occurrences in military matters." Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly, lowering his voice to probe, "However, are you truly certain you can beat him? If you were to lose again in front of everyone, it would damage the prestige of our Wang Clan."

"This..." Wang Dinghai hesitated for a moment before whispering, "I have clashed with that Liu boy several times, and we have always been evenly matched. I don't know what kind of black magic he used today, but his Water Evasion technique seems to have improved significantly. He was as slippery as an eel in the water, and I was caught off guard. But don't worry, Nephew, I will risk my life to win this match."

His Water Evasion technique improved significantly?

Heh, this is getting interesting. Wang Shouzhe rubbed his nose, having largely deduced the opponent's strategy. They were manufacturing conflict to provoke Wang Dinghai, then having the rising star Liu Yongzhou defeat him in front of everyone to diminish the Wang Clan's prestige.

If they could escalate the emotions further and goad the two sides into signing a wager, that would be even better. Then, they could bite off a large chunk of the Wang Clan's assets.

Having reached a clear judgment of the situation, Wang Shouzhe said, "Sixth Uncle, leave this matter to me."

"This..." Wang Dinghai hesitated, but upon seeing Wang Shouzhe's composed and relaxed demeanor, he calmed down and stepped back two paces. "Shouzhe, be careful. The Liu Clan is most adept at playing dirty."

"Rest assured, Sixth Uncle, I won't suffer a loss." After reassuring him, Wang Shouzhe scanned the crowd and spoke in a clear, resonant voice, "A Profound Martial Clan has always stood by its martial prowess. As for ancestral territory, if the descendants are too incompetent to defend it, then retreating to a corner is only natural. Liu Yongzhou, since your Liu Clan wishes to encroach upon and annex our fishing grounds, manufacturing conflicts is merely a petty tactic. Why not be more straightforward? Since we are of the same generation, why don't we emulate our ancestors and hold a life-or-death arena duel? Whoever wins takes the other's fishing grounds. How about it?"

"What?"

A gasp rippled through the crowd. A life-or-death duel!? Was the young Wang patriarch being too aggressive?

Wang Shouzhe was a full five years younger than Liu Yongzhou, yet this direct challenge caused Liu Yongzhou's face to turn pale and then green. He dared not accept, nor could he afford to, so he could only stammer, "Clan Head Wang, you must be joking. You are a patriarch; how can you engage in a life-or-death duel?"

From this alone, it was clear that while Liu Yongzhou was not bad among his peers, he was a cut below Wang Shouzhe, who had been groomed as a young patriarch from the start.

"Heh." Wang Shouzhe sneered mockingly, "If you have no guts, then say so; there is no need for such high-sounding excuses. I, Wang Shouzhe, am standing right here. As long as you are of the Liu Clan's 'Yong' generation, I will take on as many as you can send."

"Good! Well said! The new Wang patriarch has real spirit."

"A Profound Martial Clan standing by its martial prowess—this is interesting. Let's see how the Liu Clan handles this. As far as I know, the oldest of the Liu Clan's 'Yong' generation is thirty-six or thirty-seven, and the youngest is still babbling. Thinking about it, I really can't think of anyone who could fight the new Wang patriarch."

"Brother, how is this young man's strength? Can he really defeat all of the Liu Clan's 'Yong' generation?"

"Are you from out of town? That is our Peace Wang Clan's new patriarch, Wang Shouzhe. At only eighteen, he is already nearing the high stage of the Qi Refining Realm. It is also rumored that his talent in the sword arts is immense, and his swordsmanship has long reached a state of perfection." The local introduced him with a hint of pride. "Furthermore, Wang Shouzhe has already passed the entrance examination for the Purple Mansion Academy and was set to enroll soon. It is just a pity that such a major tragedy befell the Wang Clan, forcing him to give up his studies."

"The Purple Mansion Academy? The one that claims that once you enter, you are guaranteed to reach the Spirit Platform Realm? Amazing, truly amazing! What a pity!"

The surrounding discussions reached Wang Shouzhe's ears, reminding him that he had indeed passed the preliminary selection for the Purple Mansion Academy not long ago.

The Purple Mansion Academy of Longzuo Prefecture recruited a new class every three years, but their requirements were extremely strict. Within the Changning Guard jurisdiction, only one to three people usually passed the preliminary selection and qualified for the final examination, and this year, Wang Shouzhe was among them.

However, saying he was "set to enroll" was an exaggeration. In the entire Changning Guard jurisdiction, a student of the Purple Mansion Academy might not appear even once every eight or ten years. Wang Shouzhe considered himself extraordinary, but he knew the probability of passing the final examination was less than thirty percent.

The wind of public opinion began to tilt in favor of the Wang Clan.

The conflict that could have damaged the Wang Clan's reputation if handled poorly was now, instead, bolstering their prestige.

"Well done, Nephew." Wang Dinghai said, beaming with joy. "Let's see if that Liu brat dares to be arrogant again."

Gongsun Hui was also pleasantly surprised. She had not expected that with just a few words, Shouzhe would turn a situation that threatened the family's reputation into one that was disadvantageous for the Liu Clan.

Before this, her son had only focused on his own cultivation and cared little for other matters. She had not expected him to show such capability the moment he became patriarch.

"Good!"

Suddenly, a cheer rang out. "The words of the Wang Clan Head are truly thought-provoking. I am impressed. A Profound Martial Clan stands by its martial prowess; if one cannot defend their ancestral heritage, why not retreat to a corner? Good, very well said!"

As he spoke, a middle-aged man in brocade robes with an extraordinary bearing emerged, surrounded by several fierce-looking family guards. He walked with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, staring at Wang Shouzhe with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Upon seeing him, Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai both changed color. "It's actually Liu Shengye!"

Gongsun Hui, in particular, looked troubled and whispered a warning to Wang Shouzhe, "Zhe'er, the appearance of the Liu Clan head at this time must be suspicious. You must be careful."

Liu Shengye.

Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes. He was the current patriarch of the Peace Liu Clan. It was said that his personal martial strength was not the highest in the Liu Clan, as he had not yet broken through to the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm at forty.

However, in Wang Shouzhe's memories, this man was famous for his cunning and was known as a "smiling tiger." He had repeatedly gained the upper hand in his confrontations with the late patriarch, Wang Dingyue, and was highly skilled at managing clan assets, causing the Liu Clan's strength to grow steadily.

"So, the Liu Clan Head has graced us with his presence." Wang Shouzhe responded with calm composure. "Since the Liu Clan Head agrees with my words, does that mean you also approve of the life-or-death duel between myself and Liu Yongzhou?" Without further ado, he set a trap for Liu Shengye.

"That is not the case at all. While your words hold merit, Patriarch Wang, how can you, as the head of a clan, bully the young?" Liu Shengye seized the opportunity to press his point. "Since it is a life-or-death arena, it naturally requires participants of similar status to be worth watching."

His intention was clearly to drag the focus of this battle back onto Liu Yongzhou and Wang Dinghai.

"Patriarch Liu's words are very reasonable." Wang Shouzhe nodded in earnest agreement. "Our Wang and Liu clans have had many frictions and accumulated no small amount of grievances over the years. Since we are to have a life-or-death arena, why don't you and I, as the two patriarchs, take the stage ourselves? That would certainly count as being of equal status."

"What?"

Liu Shengye's face twitched. A patriarch personally entering a life-or-death arena? Had this brat Wang Shouzhe lost his mind? First he latched onto Liu Yongzhou, and now he was biting directly into him, Liu Shengye! He was snapping at anyone he could reach—was that even what I meant?

The surrounding merchants, travelers, and other people at the ferry were plunged into a stunned silence. A life-or-death battle between two clan patriarchs right out of the gate—did they really have to be this impulsive?